Haven by Mary Lindsey
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen
"We all hold a
beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed."
Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s use to people
judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his
orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with
that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.
Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone
wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to
stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first
time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.
Ancient magic and modern society collide in a sexy,
spellbinding romance perfect for fans of C.C. Hunter and Maggie Stiefvater
that proves sometimes beauty is the beast…
Purchase the Book:
REVIEW
"Fear
makes people crazy. Get enough crazy people together and the insanity makes
sense in some bizarre way, and the weaker ones will follow authority, even if
it's out of control."
HALL WAYS REVIEW: ✪✪✪✪ Having not read the buzz about the book before I started
reading it, I enjoyed discovering and uncovering things about Haven alongside
the main character, Rain. I am not sure I even knew there was a
paranormal element, but Lindsey quickly built up the feeling that the story was
going that direction. Initially, the town of Haven gave me a delicious Harvest
Home (Thomas Tryon) vibe, but once the characters were introduced, it
moved into a Lost Boys-like feeling and then very Twilight-ish. Even
though it is not long before the type of paranormal is revealed (no spoilers
here), one of the best aspects of Lindsey’s writing is how she sprinkles those
hints around like little seeds waiting to grow into a new plot piece.
Main character Rain is a complex character. He
is intelligent and introspective – some of the best dialogue is what he says in
his head versus what comes out of his mouth. Even the very simple exchanges
amused and enlightened.
“How was school?
Weird as hell. “Good.”
Weird as hell. “Good.”
His street smarts give Rain an added dimension
– and maybe that’s why I am a little more tolerant of his emotions. Perhaps
since he has been starved for love until he gets to Haven, he more easily goes
all in with his heart. He survives by trusting his instincts, but he also makes
decisions that place him in great danger and values pretty much everyone else’s
lives ahead of his own. At times, he is very teenaged boy being ruled by his
desire; at other times, he is very adult in assessing what’s going on around
him – until he goes teenaged boy again and talks about what’s happening in his
pants. And let’s talk about that.
There is a lot of sexual tension in this book,
and I think there is a lot of sex. Lindsey (happily) tiptoes
around it, but this causes problems for me with the book being YA. As an adult
reader, it’s obvious that Rain and Freddie are having sex and it explains
Rain’s fierce loyalty and willingness to die for Freddie. (cue the teenaged
boy). However, it feels a bit too sexual for readers on the younger end of YA,
but it is too tame to be NA, which puts the book in limbo. Rain and Freddie
(un)clearly become lovers, but his sometimes sexually aggressive behavior
towards Freddie is a little troubling. Without a peek into the bedroom and an
understanding of the sexual relationship, readers don’t have the context or
possibly the maturity needed to deal with, for example, a male forcefully placing a female's hand upon his crotch. In this story, it’s treated as an
okay thing to do – and for these two lovers, it may have been. In life? Often
not. We need context. Too much is implied for some of the sexual scenes to
safely work for a young audience.
Of course, I
love the Texas town setting and the backdrop of Enchanted Rock, a truly
magical, mystical place in its own right. Lindsey’s character and world
building are rich and intriguing, and she has some outstanding secondary
characters (Petra!!) who make the story pop. And what of the elusive category
of characters, the revenants, whose existence are just a cruel tease to the
readers?
Haven got me in trouble because it CALLED to me when I needed to
be doing other things for other people. It’s well-written, well-edited, and weaves an immersive tale
that traps the reader. While the cheesy factor gets a little heavy for me in
the last tenth of the book, it’s unfair to call something silly or judge
something as unrealistic when we are dealing with fantasy. Anything goes, and
Mary Lindsey puts her own definition and stamp on the fascinating people and world
of Haven.
*SIDE NOTE: Whoa!
What a great decision to change the cover and title of this book from its
original – check out my cover reveal post from seven months ago! It was a complete mismatch to
the story whereas the new cover and title are perfect.
Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for providing me an eBook in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Lindsey is a multi award-winning, RITA® nominated author of romance for
adults and teens. She lives on an island in the middle of a river. Seriously,
she does. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, two
Cairn Terriers, and one husband. Inexplicably, her favorite animal is the giant
anteater and at one point, she had over 200 "pet" Madagascar Hissing
Cockroaches. The roaches are a long story involving three science-crazed kids
and a soft spot for rescue animals. The good news is, the "pet"
roaches found a home... somewhere else.
=====================
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Win a Swag Box including books (not
I) and fun stuff.* A $15 Amazon gift card will be
substituted in place of the prize pack if the winner is international.
CLICK TO WIN THE SWAG BOX!
CLICK TO WIN THE SWAG BOX!
 |
| CLICK TO WIN THE SWAG BOX! |
 |
| Click for Tour Schedule |
No comments:
Post a Comment